


Broken Promise

by MageOfTheLufaines



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Ruby & Sapphire & Emerald | Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Versions
Genre: Broken Promises, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Memories, Promises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2014-12-29
Packaged: 2018-03-04 05:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2954162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MageOfTheLufaines/pseuds/MageOfTheLufaines
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They used to be friends on the same team until power corrupted Maxie. Archie remembers their past, and how much it had all changed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broken Promise

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my very first Pokemon fanfic and of course it's Maxie/Archie because I have fallen in love with them since starting Alpha Sapphire. Basically, this fanfic is a 'what if' to the fact they were said to be on the same team. It's implied that they were rivals even then, and that they may have been on Team Rocket but I created a new, unnamed team and made them friends instead. None of this is confirmed as canon, it's literally just what I like to imagine happened. 
> 
> It's set in the past and more to do with Omega Ruby than Alpha Sapphire (despite the fact I've got the latter). I am not used to these characters so apologies if it's messed up. Anyway, enjoy!

Team Aqua were busy in their hideout having an annual clean out of their entire base. Surprisingly, Matt was the one to decide it, having seen the state of some of the lockers that were used to hold the grunt’s possessions. Even more surprisingly, Archie had gone along with it. After having almost caused the entire Hoenn region to drown because of Kyogre, he needed something to distract himself from the guilt that ate away at him almost every day. 

And so here he was, locked in his room and cleaning out his wardrobe. He’d wanted privacy from the prying eyes of the grunts, so had purposefully locked himself in. It wasn’t like Archie to keep his beloved team away but there were secrets in this wardrobe he’d rather kept hidden. One such secret was in his hand, an old shirt that was once part of a complete outfit. He let a breath he hadn’t knew he’d been holding escape as he turned the shirt over, inspecting the symbol on the back. It was two orbs, one red and one blue, connected by what looked like lightning strikes. He realised that the orbs looked similarly like the orbs used to awaken the legendary Weather Pokemon, and a shudder ran down his spine. 

The symbol was the logo for an old team he used to be part of ten years ago. However he wasn’t the only one to be a member of this team. The leader of Team Magma, the rival he was meant to hate with a passion, had once been a member of this old team long ago. 

 

10 Years Earlier

A much younger Archie, around twenty years old, stood in front of the looming building that held the base of the team he was going to join. He was just beginning to grow the beard that was iconic to his image, and looked much more youthful in appearance. 

“So, how d’ya think this’ll turn out?” he asked his friend standing next to him. Maxie was five years older than him but looked younger with his shoulder length, bright red hair. The lines of age that would appear over the years they spent together were yet to appear, and Archie had to admit he had something alluring about him. 

“How am I supposed to know? I’ve never done this before,” he replied, frowning at the younger man. Despite the way he acted, at this time Maxie was a considerably kinder person towards Archie. Even if he did snap, it wasn’t purposefully. 

“I just thought… you know what never mind. Let’s go,” Archie muttered before walking off. At this moment, he was slightly smaller than Maxie but soon he’d grow taller and that would end up annoying Maxie constantly. 

It had taken a lot of debating between the two of them before they’d decided to quit being Pokemon trainers and become members of the new team that was appearing. Both friends had met in a gym, when Archie had suffered a crushing defeat by the hands of the leader. Maxie, seeing Archie’s disappointment, gave him advice and when he next defeated the leader, Maxie was there to watch and congratulate him. From then on, these two were inseparable. It was around the fifth gym when they decided to change their lives and become part of this team. 

Both of them were surprised to be accepted, and were allowed to keep one of their current Pokemon: a Carvanha for Archie and a Numel for Maxie. The two settled in rather well and were soon being sent on the odd mission. Back when they were trainers, neither would have thought of being thugs but now they had gotten used to it. 

Yet, despite how well they were doing, Archie encountered a problem that didn’t seem to have an easy escape. 

It had began two years after being part of the team. Being with Maxie changed for Archie, and a feeling he couldn’t describe clung at his heart whenever he was so much as next to his closest friend. He didn’t understand what was happening, but at night he dreamt of them being together in ways friends definitely should not be together. And even in the day he couldn’t help but imagine his friend’s lips against his own. 

Archie didn’t realise that he was beginning to fall in love. Another year passed and Archie just couldn’t keep his feelings in any longer yet. So, without so much as a word, he took Maxie to the training room. At this moment, it was empty and it would be empty for a few hours. More than enough time for Archie to somehow tell Maxie his feelings. All the way, Maxie had been asking what was going on and getting more and more irritated when Archie didn’t reply. Once they reached the training room, he’d had enough. 

“Archie, what in Arceus’ name do you think you’re doing taking me here?!” he cried out, yet Archie just turned to look at him without so much as flinching. “We’re on our break, we don’t need to train right-“

He was cut off by Archie’s chapped lips pressing against his own, the feel of his beard rubbing against the skin of his face. For once in his life, Maxie didn’t know what to do. 

Archie broke away a few seconds later, heat rising to his face as he saw Maxie’s bewildered expression. 

“W-Why did you do that?” Maxie asked, chest rising and falling quickly. He was nervous, something that was rare for him.

“Was it not obvious ya numb-skull?” Archie spat, averting his gaze from Maxie’s almost piercing red eyes. 

“No it’s not, for Arceus’ sake just explain!” Maxie responded, frowning ever so slightly. He was trying to deny the fact that he’d wanted more kisses. 

“I like ya Maxie… ya might be a fucking annoying nerd at times but I honestly like ya that way,” Archie managed to somehow calmly say despite his pulse racing. 

“Why didn’t you say so before you started kissing me?” Maxie muttered before pulling him closer and kissing him back. Archie was taken aback by this action however he soon relaxed and kissed back, snaking his arms around Maxie’s neck. 

From then on, the two had to try their hardest to hide the feelings they had for one another. They made a promise to one another that if the team ever disbanded they would end up joining together to make a world that was ideal for Pokemon. And these ideas would continue going on for Archie long after creating Team Aqua. 

However this happiness that Archie was enjoying would soon be broken by Maxie’s own desires. 

It was a year before they’d leave the team when Maxie became more distant towards Archie. He spent more time in the barracks, reading tales about Pokemon that were said to be the most powerful Pokemon you could command. Archie never believed these tales, unless they had proof yet most of them were simply stories told to children. He became more harsh towards Archie, snapping at him more often than he used to, and it left Archie hurt and confused. He didn’t want to spend any time with Archie when they were alone, and he started to speak about how the world should be made ideal for humans. 

Before long, Maxie seemed to have forgotten his feelings for Archie while Archie wondered what he’d done wrong. When the team they were a part of disbanded, Archie had to remind Maxie of their promise. Maxie’s response haunted him for years after. 

“Who needs a world ideal for Pokemon when science is upgrading in such a rate that we can have a world ideal for us, Archie?” Maxie replied, looking at him with that piercing gaze of his. It was much more sinister now. 

“But ya promised!” Archie argued, unable to believe that the man he’d fallen in love with was willing to just end it all because of selfish desires.

“Promises are made to be broken.” 

 

Archie snapped out of his thoughts with a shake of his head, staring down at the shirt that now had tear stains on it. Anger replaced the anguish and he ripped the shirt in half, furiously wiping away at the tears. Maxie has broken his heart and so he’d tried to stop him from awakening Groudon as well trying to find Kyogre. Anything to distract himself from the pain of the man he loved abandoning him as if he was disposable. He was about to continue when he heard a knock on the door and he grit his teeth. 

“If that’s you Shelly, ya know I locked the damn door for a reason!” he snapped, glad his voice didn’t betray his emotions. 

“Well that’s no way to treat your guest,” came the voice from the other side of the door and Archie froze. It was Maxie. “Now are you going to open this door or not?” 

It was as if he was on automatic as he made his way over to the door, turning the lock before opening it slowly. His hand went over a Pokeball attached to his hip, though he tried to relax his face to how he normally was like around Maxie. 

“How did ya get in?” he asked, his lips twitching into a small smirk. 

“Surprisingly your grunts were rather eager to let me enter. I guess they think we’re on good terms now,” Maxie replied, his face as neutral as ever. 

“If ya planning to take any secret data we may have I’m happy to tell ya that none exists,” Archie told him, finally relaxing enough. Though after the painful memory he’d just had, Maxie was the last person he wanted to see. 

Maxie sighed before shaking his head. “I’m here for something less drastic. I want to stop being your rival and start working alongside you.”

Archie looked at him skeptically, unable to believe that Maxie was requesting they get along. After all, Maxie was the one to betray his feelings. “How can I trust ya?”

“Let me in… I can’t speak to you here.” Maxie ordered, to which Archie reluctantly complied. He wondered what the Team Magma leader wanted, and couldn’t help but feel nervous at this change in character. He closed the door as Maxie gave repulsed face at the mess on his floor before his eyes flickered to the torn shirt. 

“Get on with it, as ya can see I was in the middle of somethin’.”

“I never once stopped loving you Archie,” Maxie said with such a small voice he thought he’d misheard. 

The silence was enough of an indicator that Maxie could continue speaking. “I was a fool… I let the prospect of power get to my head. When the drought kicked in I realised that I broke a promise I made. I let it drive my ambitions instead of thinking about you. You don’t know how much I’ve thought of you, how much guilt I’ve felt because of the fact I could have almost killed you.”

Archie just stared, letting his usual cocky smirk be replaced with a much more serious expression. His heart was pounding in his chest and he didn’t know if this was a dream or not. 

“You can probably never forgive me Archie. But I want us to stop this petty squabbling, I want… I want…” Maxie was finally stuck for words as emotion overcame him and the tears that fell down his cheeks were a sign that he truly loved Archie. The taller man strode over before pulling Maxie into his arm’s allowing him the chance to sob into his chest. 

“I’ve not stopped lovin’ ya Maxie. I was hurt by your behaviour, but now that it’s over I want to start again. We’ll join together, just so we can be together,” the leader of Team Aqua decided before Maxie lifted his head. Slowly they pressed their lips together, and the memories of their first kiss flooded back as the kiss grew more passionate. Archie’s fingers slid into Maxie’s hair as he deepened the kiss, while Maxie’s own fingers ran through Archie’s thick, coarse beard. Neither wanted to stop or let go so they kept kissing, pressing against each other as if they were both afraid this moment would end as soon as they moved away. 

It was another knock at the door that made them freeze up and force themselves away from one another. Maxie coughed awkwardly, trying to get rid of the pink colouring to his pale cheeks while Archie sorted out his suit before heading to the door. This time it was Shelly, and by the look on her face she knew exactly what was going on. 

“I’ll inform our grunts of the new plans,” was all she said before she walked off. Archie looked back to Maxie and the leaders smiled, glad they could start again.


End file.
